by Donna Grant
Beau stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Go home, Linc. You too, Vin. Go to your women. Christian, make sure they get there and stay there.”
“You want us to just leave you?” Christian asked.
Beau glanced at the ground. “I don’t trust Delphine. You all stand the best chance at the house. I’ll feel better knowing all of you are there waiting for me.”
“If you don’t come home, I’m going to kick your ass,” Vin said before dragging him close for a hug.
Beau smiled as Vincent pounded on his back and quickly released him. He said brief farewells to Christian and Lincoln then headed to his truck.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Davena found Delia’s bag sitting on the bed. Somehow, she knew that Marshall had brought the car back as well as Delia’s things. She unzipped the bag and peeked inside. Sitting right on top was a journal. Delia had written in it occasionally during their six years together. It seemed wrong to look inside it, but Davena reached for it anyway.
To read something of her sister’s, and have that one last connection was too great to pass up. So Davena opened it and flipped through the pages chock full of Delia’s handwriting. Emotion, thick and choking rose up in Davena when she found the last entry. Davena hastily swallowed and began to read.
September 3rd, Crowley
Davena still hasn’t guessed what I have planned, and I’m so thankful for it. I have to do this for her. It’s the only way she’ll be able to stop looking over her shoulder. I’m hoping with everything that I learned from Mom, it will be enough to take on Delphine.
Even if it isn’t, I can’t sit back and do nothing anymore. I don’t want to leave Davena, but I have to. She’s all I have in the world, and it’s time I stepped up as the eldest and took care of her as she’s always taken care of me.
I just hope she forgives me for leaving. It’s the only way I can carry out my plan. If she knows, she’ll stop me, and I’m scared enough that I’d probably let her.
If she thinks I’ve left, it gives me the chance I need. And I know the perfect place to draw Delphine out. It’s the animal clinic. It’s near water, which will help strengthen what powers I have.
Besides, it’s what Mom would’ve done.
Davena reread the passage three more times, each time more difficult than the last, bringing emotions she didn’t want to feel because they frightened her so, overwhelmed her.
She jerked and nearly dropped the journal at the sound of a knock. Davena spun around and hastily walked into the living room. She glanced outside to see a silver truck.
“Beau,” she whispered.
How had he found her? It didn’t matter. He couldn’t be there. She had to get rid of him quickly because he was her weakness.
Davena opened the door, the journal still in hand. His brilliant blue eyes locked on hers, and they held such understanding that a crack formed in the wall around her heart. Her vision swam as tears gathered and swiftly fell down her cheeks. There were no words as Beau stepped inside and drew her against him.
She clung to him, the tears she hadn’t been able to shed the night before coming in a torrent. Davena couldn’t have stopped them if she tried. All the years of barely surviving, living in fear, and pretending life was better than it was came pouring out.
Beau’s strong arms lifted her up and carried her to the couch where he sat down and held her tight. Davena didn’t know how long they sat in silence as he let her cry. Even when the tears had dried, she didn’t move. She was drained, emotionally and mentally. He moved her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.
“Marshall brought Delia’s things,” Davena said finally. “I found her journal.”
“Ah,” Beau murmured.
Davena squeezed her eyes closed as she felt more tears coming. “The last time we spoke, we argued.”
“She loved you, and she knew you loved her. You were family. It’s what families do.”
“Delphine will come for me today. I don’t want you near when it happens.”
He took a deep breath and slowly released it. “I’m not leaving.”
Davena sat up and looked at him. She sniffed and rubbed her nose that she knew had turned red as it always did when she cried. “I left the plantation to keep this away from you and your family.”
“It doesn’t matter. Delphine wants it otherwise.”
Davena felt the room spin around her. “What?”
“First, I want you to know that I was coming for you regardless.”
“Just say it,” Davena said nervously. That gnawing, gaping feeling that threatened to swallow her whole was growing bigger by the second. She instinctively knew that whatever Beau was about to say was going to change her world – and not for the better.
He pulled her against him for a quick kiss, and then looked into her eyes. “Tell me you know I was coming for you.”
“I knew you would try to find me,” she conceded. It was who Beau was. She understood that, which is why she had prayed he wouldn’t know where to find her.
His eyes briefly closed. “Delphine isn’t coming to kill you, Davena. She’s coming to claim you.”
“I’m sorry. That sounded like you just said she wasn’t going to kill me after she murdered my sister and my parents,” Davena said as she slid off Beau’s lap.
It bothered her more than she wanted to admit that he didn’t try to keep her against him.
He sat forward and ran a hand down his weary face. “Delphine claims she didn’t kill your father. She says that one of your mother’s clients was seeking revenge when Babette’s counterspell against one of Delphine’s hexes didn’t work, and because she had lost her husband, she decided to take your mother’s.”
“And you believe her?”
“She has no reason to lie. She takes credit for every life she’s taken.”
Davena didn’t think her legs could hold her much longer, and it was obvious the surprises were going to keep coming. “Why does she want me?”
“Your mother went to her when she couldn’t get pregnant. Delphine agreed to help your mother conceive, but only with the understanding that one of the children would be Delphine’s to train in Voodoo to take her spot as priestess one day. Delphine mixed her own power into the spell.”
Davena thought of all the times Delphine had sought her out whether to speak to her, or just to watch her. Now she understood Delphine’s interest. It sickened her that she was part of someone so evil and that her mother had agreed to such a thing just to have children.
Beau saw her sway, and was on his feet with his arms around her before her legs could give out. He sat her on the sofa beside him, holding her ice-cold hand in his.
On his way to see her, he had thought of a thousand different ways to tell her to go with Delphine in order to save his family. It was the right thing to do because everyone would remain alive.
Then he realized that Davena could be carrying his child. It had been a reckless thing they did having unprotected sex, but he couldn’t find any regret in anything he had done with Davena. The possibility of a child only brought to the forefront the reality that by sending Davena to Delphine, he was going against his family’s code.
Then Davena had opened her door. He had seen the remorse and sadness in her spring green eyes, and it had firmed his resolve to help her. His family would take care of themselves. It was his duty to protect Davena at all costs – even if it meant his own life.
“My parents wanted a child so desperately they made a deal with Delphine? What kinds of people do that?”
He didn’t know how to answer that because he’d never been in that position. “The fact is, your mother did it. The night your mother died, Delphine had come for you. Babette refused to give you up.”
“So Delphine killed her,” Davena said. “And nearly killed me and Delia.”
“Delphine claims not to have known you were in there initially, but when she found out, she kept the fire from reaching you. She knew you and Delia e
scaped, but she let you go.”
Davena gave a shake of her head. “Why would she do that?”
“She says to give you time, but I suspect there’s more to it. She’s always known where you were. Delphine was going to come for you soon, but Delia challenged her.”
“I’m going to kill that bitch.”
Beau gathered her other hand with the first and rubbed his thumb along her knuckles. “You have the power to face her, but I don’t want you to.”
Her gaze settled on him, anger clearing them of sorrow. “Why?”
“Because I don’t want you to die. I care about you, Davena, even though I tried hard not to.”
She looked down at their joined hands. “Delphine wanted you to talk me into going with her, didn’t she?”
“Yes.” Beau wasn’t going to lie to her. If Davena was going to make a life-changing decision, she needed to know all there was to know. “I’m not going to though. There has to be another way.”
Davena chuckled dryly and looked at him. “There’s not. Delphine always gets what she wants. She wants me. If she doesn’t get me, she’ll kill me and everyone around...” She trailed off, her eyes going wide. “She threatened your family, didn’t she?”
This was one thing he wanted to lie about. “It’s what people like her do, but we’re used to it. My brothers are readying themselves.”
“And Ava and Olivia?”
“With my brothers. They’re a lot safer than we are.”
Davena frowned. “And your sister?”
Beau’s gut twisted just thinking about it. He hadn’t been able to get ahold of Riley, but he had left several messages. They had believed her safe in Austin, but with her being so far away from any family, there was no one there to help her.
“Oh, God,” Davena whispered and hung her head. She sniffed loudly. “Delphine will keep killing unless I go with her. I’ve lost my sister. There’s no reason for you to lose yours.”
Beau cupped her face and lifted her chin to look into her eyes. Her golden mane of hair hung around her shoulders, and her eyelashes were still spiky from her tears. “You don’t belong with Delphine.”
“Your family has been so good to me.” She reached up and put her hand atop his. “You protected me, but now it’s my turn to protect you.”
“Davena, no.”
“I won’t see you or your family hurt. You see, Beau Chiasson, I care about you, too.”
He started to speak when his eyes all of a sudden grew heavy. No matter how he fought, he couldn’t stop his lids from closing. That’s when he knew Davena was using magic on him. He tried to call her name as his eyes closed.
Davena carefully laid Beau back on the couch. She stroked his face and the thick whiskers along his jaw. “I would’ve shared my life with you. I would have done anything for your love. Stay safe, Beau. You have a full life ahead of you continuing to save those in the parish.”
She stood and picked up Delia’s journal that had been dropped sometime during their conversation. Davena looked back at Beau sleeping so peacefully. He would be angry when he woke, but she had to do something.
If she hadn’t, he would do something foolish like stand with her against Delphine, and she couldn’t allow that. She loved him too much for that.
Fresh tears came as she realized that she did love him. Deeply, intently.
Totally.
It was for him that gave her the strength to walk from the house and face her nemesis. There was evil in the bayous, evil that wouldn’t stop until she had what she came for.
Davena was going to give Delphine something unexpected, something the Voodoo priestess would never see coming.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Beau came awake after a vicious slap to his face. He jerked upright, his fist swinging.
“Son of a bitch,” he heard a male growl angrily.
Beau blinked several times, trying to get his eyes to focus. He was so tired he couldn’t form a coherent thought. Somehow he got to his feet, knocking into something heavy, and lifted his fists.
“It might help if you opened your damn eyes.”
He frowned because he recognized the voice. It took him a moment, but he finally placed it. Marshall Ducet. What was Marshall doing in Davena’s house?
Davena.
Beau’s eyes cracked open as clarity hit him like a tidal wave. He wouldn’t have fallen asleep on his own. That meant Davena had put him in that state? “Where is she?”
“I don’t know,” Marshall said as he rubbed his jaw. “You’ve got a hell of a left hook, even for someone asleep.”
Beau plopped back down onto the couch and gave his head a shake to clear it more. “I wasn’t sleeping.”
“Really? What do you call that?”
“Magic,” Beau grumbled. “Why are you here?”
“After your call to find Davena’s house, I thought you might want some help.”
Right. Beau wasn’t fooled. “Who called you?”
Marshall sighed loudly. “I was on my way here when Christian rang. It’s a good thing I gave my number to everyone last night. Did Delphine get Davena?”
“No.” It was much worse than that. “She went to Delphine so my family would be left alone.”
Marshall rested his hand on the butt of his 9mm. “Brave girl.”
“Foolish is more like it. We could’ve thought of something.”
“She knows Delphine. Even I know better than to mess with the likes of Delphine.”
Beau looked at his watch. “She’s been gone about fifteen minutes. Did you see Davena on your way here?”
“No, but she’d likely stay off the roads for just such a thing.”
“I know.” Beau got to his feet and started for the door. “I’ve got to stop her.”
“Have you ever thought that maybe she’s doing the right thing?”
Beau halted with his hand on the doorknob. He looked over his shoulder at the deputy. “I know she’s not. She’s a good person who doesn’t need to be anywhere near Delphine.”
“Davena is old enough to make her own decisions.”
“I’m not losing her!”
Beau looked away after his outburst and rested his forehead against the door. His nerves were stretched taut, his heart racing with dread and fear.
It was exactly the thing he had never wanted to experience. He’d known how easy it would be to fall for Davena, which is why he hadn’t pursued her.
Fate, destiny, or whatever you wanted to call it had put her in his path regardless of what either of them wanted. There had been a part of him missing that he hadn’t even realized until she was near and he felt whole. Then it was crystal clear that she was what was lacking.
How did he go through life knowing she was out of his reach? How could he face each day thinking about her learning all of Delphine’s ways?
How could he survive without her in his arms?
“You love her.”
Beau frowned. “I protect people.”
“Especially someone you’ve fallen in love with,” Marshall persisted.
“I know better than to fall in love with anyone.”
Marshall chuckled, his boots sounding on the wood floor as he walked closer. “Good luck with that train of thought. Anyone with eyes can see the two of you have something special. Whether it’s love now or not, it’s extraordinary and shouldn’t be carelessly tossed aside.”
Beau straightened and looked at him. “I’m so scared of losing her that I don’t know what to do.”
“Yes you do.” Marshall moved him aside and opened the door. “You’ve been doing this your whole life. You’ve known what to do this entire time.”
Beau looked outside to see the sun shining bright. It seemed wrong to have such a beautiful day when everything was falling apart.
He could wallow in self-pity, or he could remember that he was a Chiasson. Marshall was right. He had been hunting since he was a small boy. The only thing different was that he was older and more experienced
at hunting evil.
“I don’t know if this will bleed over into the public. You need to get to town.”
Marshall walked past him. “Nice try. I’m coming with you.”
“The hell you are,” Beau said as he stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
“Your family isn’t with you, and you’re going to need backup.”
“Not from someone that doesn’t know what’s going on.”
“Don’t forget I lived in New Orleans for years, Beau. I dealt with Delphine and all the other craziness like werewolves, vampires, and witches that abound in that city. I’m not a novice.”
Beau looked to the sky for patience before he sighed. Marshall was going to go with him no matter what. Beau could use him to his advantage. “Fine, but you’ll have to stay out of sight. If she gets wind that you’re there, she’ll kill you in an instant.”
“I’m interested in living, so I’ll stay hidden.”
Beau walked to his truck. “I must be out of my mind.”
“How do you know where Davena is?”
“I don’t, but I know she’ll get as far from the city and people as she can. That doesn’t leave too many places.”
Beau got into his truck and glanced in his rearview mirror to see Marshall already in his own car with the engine started. He started the truck and put it in gear.
“Hold on, Davena. I’m coming.”
~ ~ ~
Sweat ran down Davena’s face and back. Her thin, turquoise shirt was stuck to her, and her denim shorts only made her hotter. She was squinting painfully in the sun, and the hair sticking to her neck and face was making her itch.
But she ignored all of it as she concentrated on what was to come. If she did have some of Delphine’s power within her, then that made her one of a handful who had the ability to stand against the priestess.
A desperate few had dared to stand against Delphine, and every one of them had died. Davena had expected death, but after what Beau imparted, she was willing to bet her very soul that Delphine wouldn’t be so hasty to kill her.
